Annal: 2004 Whitbread Book Award for Children's Book

Everyone knows the story of the Flood, the men God chose to survive, the animals that went in two by two. But what about the others that sailed on the Ark, the women and the children? This adventure story asks what it was really like when the heavens opened and the world drowned—and what might have happened in the days that followed.

With a frighteningly zealous and single-minded Noah; Japheth and his young wife Zillah concerned for the welfare of the animals; the stowaway boy and baby found by Noah’s daughter Timna; and the animals themselves, continuing to act as animals do, whatever their surroundings, this is an extremely compelling and at times very frightening story, beautifully written as ever by Geraldine McCaughrean.

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

A gripping and emotionally searing novel from a talented author, Looking for JJ explores the circumstances and motives behind the murder of a child—by her friend. Six years later, JJ has now been released, and has a new identity. But is there any way that she can lead a “normal” life?

It is 1662, and England is reeling from the aftereffects of civil war, with its clashes of faith and culture. Susanna, a young Quaker girl, leaves her family to become a servant in town. Seventeen-year-old Will returns home after completing his studies to begin an apprenticeship arranged by his wealthy father. Susanna and Will meet and fall in love, but can their bond survive—no matter what? Theirs is a story that speaks across the centuries, telling of love and the fight to stay true to what is most important, in spite of parents, society, and even the law.

A young Quaker girl and the son of a wealthy merchant face intolerance and persecution in this gripping historical novel that evokes the passion and idealism of young love.